The Lincoln Lawyer

The Amazingly Shirtless Matthew McConaughey must be trying to win an Oscar! A full 42 minutes passed in The Lincoln Lawyer before he took off his shirt. That's his move. You have to have some major confidence in the movie to forsake your move, and he should.

McConaughey plays Mick Haller - a fast talking, slick, charming rascal of a lawyer who defends those who might not be all that innocent and live within the gritty underbelly of society. Operating out of his Lincoln Town Car, Mick has an office on four wheels, so he can crisscross Los Angeles to get every job he can. However, his latest client is much different than the rest.

Louis Roulet (Ryan "The Dude Who (Allegedly) Cheated On Reese Witherspoon and Might Have Knocked Up His Ex-Girlfriend, But Wants a Maury Povich DNA Test Before Admitting He is The Father" Phillippe) is a filthy rich Beverly Hills playboy who has been accused of murder. Although they have never met, he has requested Mick to be his lawyer, but why?

Is Louis innocent?

Can McConaughey win the case?

Does he want to?

The Lincoln Lawyer has an amazing cast, some fun mystery, twists and turns that will entertain you and Matthew McConaughey reminding the audience why they like and root for him.

Above all else, The Lincoln Lawyer is enjoyable because of McConaughey. He is awesome when fully being Mr. Charm. He makes Mick funny and engaging, even if he operates in a morally ambiguous shadow of justice. We know he might be a bad boy, but he's the kind of bad boy all of the ladies love.

That's why it is disappointing to see Mick struggling part way through the movie. The Lincoln Lawyer is best when he is in control. Sure, he has to be challenged, have his confidence shaken, and start to question what is happening in the case, but McConaughey takes it a bit too far and sucks the fun and excitement out of the movie when doing so. The movie suffers when it slows down and gets too serious, but director Brad Furman and McConaughey re-engage the audience by showing us how Mick tries to get out of the mess, if he can.

Even Phillippe puts in a good performance. The Lincoln Lawyer is a battle of wits between Louis and Mick, and Phillippe comes through by showing his character's evil and righteous sides at all of the right moments. Is he guilty? Is he innocent? Furman and Phillippe do a good job holding onto the answer until the audience needs to know.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a bit too long, and needed more energy in the middle of the film, but I am more than willing to see this one again.

The Lincoln Lawyer is rated R for some violence, sexual content and language.